to give a hoot.

Has it been over a year since the last blog update? Yes. Am I mildly ashamed that I've been so inconsistent with this blog? Maybe a little. Was the purpose of this blog prolific writing? Not entirely. Do owls tweet? No. [if they did, we'd have a twitter instead!] However, normally when we have something to say, it takes more than 140 twitter characters. [which would have stopped this post at 'little.']

This post is me 'giving a hoot' to you about what's been going on this past year. [yay flashback posts!] In a nutshell, I finished off another contracting/planting/overseeing/harvesting season with HBI which consumed my entire spring, summer, and most of fall. I spent the winter back in Springfield, spending time between working on my book, hanging with friends, and dabbling with my art. Originally the plan was to head back to HBI, but those plans changed. Now I'm [casually] job hunting in Springfield while trying to figure out what I want to do with my life [because, let's be honest, who really has that all figured out??].

It has definitely been an eventful winter, though, so here are a few highlights! 

~ Christmas in Las Vegas, and New Years Eve on the strip. ~
Yes, the Vegas, and the strip. We've got family out that way that volunteered to host the rest of us for about two weeks of awesomeness. [The fact that her family manages to spend that much time together all under one roof and still enjoy every day says something in itself! BLESSED!] Here's the breakdown of some of the sites we hit: 

"First Snow"
One night we went to a shopping district that had a 'first snow' event, where fake snow covered the spectators around a giant Christmas tree! Oddly enough, despite being a 'desert' *cough*, we had snow several of the days we were in the Vegas area.

Fake snow!

The lovely ladies. And tree. 

Zion National Park
During the drive out there it snowed, but it was gorgeous. Our car got stuck at one point, but some nice young fellas who were snowboarding in the area helped to un-stick us, haha.

The Grand Canyon
Unfortunately, the same snow that made Zion so beautiful closed some of the roads in the Grand Canyon park, so we were only able to see part of it.  (again, desert? snow? eh?) Still, it was breathtaking!

Wupatki National Park
Since we weren't able to spend the whole day at the Grand Canyon, we ended up exploring the Native American ruins at Wupatki National Park. Supposedly they were deserted around 700 years ago. We were just having a fun time exploring. ^_^ There was also a dormant volcano in the adjacent park that we checked out, which explained why the ground in that area was covered with tiny black rocks. 

Hoover Dam
Clearly we weren't going to miss this. We did the dam tour [SO many dam jokes], which was pretty awesome. I especially enjoyed seeing the angels near the bridge and rubbing the toes. Percy Jackson reference, anyone? =D Thankfully, no dragon-tooth warriors came after us. 

From inside the tunnel

tourists.

the lake

da angelz [the brother didn't want to be in the shot.]

The Strip
We spent a couple days exploring the strip. I didn't gamble at all, but I was blown away at the architecture and glamor of the buildings, casinos, and shops! I was not a fan of the smell of the casinos [indoor smoking for the lose], but the MGM Grand did the best at masking the smell with a nice air spray of some sort. We explored the Venetian, the MGM Grand, New York New York, Paris, Caesar's Palace, Treasure Island (yes, we watched the show!), Excalibur, The Luxor, The Mirage, Mandala Bay, and everything in-between. My favorites were definitely Caesar's Palace and the Venetian. SO DETAILED. Gorgeous. On the night of New Years, we stood in the middle of the strip and watched the fireworks show with tons of other people. Much excitement was had by all. 

Inside the Venetian

Paris

Caesar's Palace

The Bellagio water show

Treasure Island Pirate Show

(spoiler: the ship sinks.)

The Pharaohs of Old

(inside the Luxor)

New Year's Fireworks on the strip

However, perhaps the most exciting part of the entire trip was when, on Christmas morning, we had our family gift exchange, and my ever-so-awesome-and-sneaky cousin surprised me with a new member for the nest: Zuhu! I say 'sneaky' because we actually found Zuhu together during a shopping endeavor, and although I fell in love with him at first sight, I ended up passing on buying him right away. Since we were still going to be walking the mall for a while, I opted to come back and get him before we left. But, Alas! As we were pulling away, I realized I'd forgotten poor Zuhu behind! Imagine my elation, then, when come Christmas morning, my secret santa cousin--who was with me when Zuhu was discovered--presented him to me! Joy! Adorableness! Love! Clearly it was meant to be. [...but... clearly I'm still cuter. ...]

[...nest invader...]

We did other things out west as well, like tour a rare earth minerals mine my uncle manages, as well as spend several 'chill days' at the house enjoying good food, the outdoor hot tub, and games. It was definitely an awesome vacation. I must admit that Vegas was not what I expected. I won't deny that Vegas can hold its title as 'Sin City,' but there was definitely plenty to do for those not interested in gambling or scandalous shows, especially when taking the surrounding area into account, and although you could easily blow a ton of money there on shopping alone, there are lots of free things to do at the different casinos. I'd definitely be willing to go back!

~ The annual Branson getaway. ~
This was definitely a fun weekend, but apparently I failed at taking any pictures of it. For Martin Luther King Jr. weekend every year, we take a family vacation in good ol' Branson. This year was especially fun because we had a larger 'cabin' than in past years, meaning more friends were able to tag along for quality girl time. Highlights included a winery tour [don't judge] and some long, laugh-filled hours of Fruits Basket with the friend whose hubby allowed me to steal her for the weekend [new anime convert!]. We will never forget how we *tried* to use the jets in our private hot tub. Alas, it wasn't meant to be... and the picture frame on the wall was a bit wet for wear afterwards... as was someone's face... and hair... and just in time to meet a new friend. Such fun memories. hehe.



~ Art Adventures ~
February was a bit of a blur spending long hours at night prepping for the art show I participated in in early March. Unfortunately, the show was a bit of a bomb (great comments, yet people weren't buying), but on a positive note, I got a commission out of it, so that's a plus! Somehow, February & March also managed to majorly derail my original intentions for this winter to be focused on my book, and instead turned them to my art. As a result, I now have an Etsy shop! Feel free to check it out: etsy.com/shop/fantasybumpkin

Speaking of art, I've been debating starting a blog devoted to it... by which, I mean, one that highlights the adventures [struggles] of a starving artist. In fact, it was this idea that brought me back to Owls Don't Tweet! So I've been debating whether to create a new themed blog, which would focus on showing how new pieces develop (Works in Progress / WIP), or simply be a way to highlight new pieces / opportunities / projects I'm undertaking. The question I pose to you, dear reader, is whether you think ODT should remain a purely reflective / random blog as it currently is, and let the art blog idea be its own entity, or if I should combine the two as part of the ongoing project that is my life [haha]. Thoughts on this? 

That more or less brings us up to the present. Sure, other fun things have been happening in the past months (good times with friends, late night nerdiness with the housemate, etc.), but I'd never get offline if I reported them all. I've really been enjoying the Spring weather that finally decided to show up, and have been spending a decent amount of time outdoors in the past couple weeks, wether that be reading, going on walks, or shooting my bow. I'm thinking it might be about time to invest in a window box for herbs or something. I should probably lock down a source of income though, first. [Feel free to pray with us on that.]

On that note, I'm going to sign off for the night. I'll try to give a hoot more often, and, if you'd like to hoot back, feel free to lmk your thoughts on the art blog idea. As always, thanks for reading!


~Snowl

The Escapade: Springfield & I-70+

[Orville's note: She's dragging me around the country again. I'm starting to think she enjoys this or something.]

To Springfield!

Hello hello! I realize there has (once again) been a long silence on the blog, but I finally have something fun to share! I've decided to stay on with Hartung for another year, meaning I've got a few more weeks of free time before the boss wants me back to start working in March. Soooo... logically, I decided to road trip it to New Jersey. I'm going to attempt to document the highlights here in the blog both for my own remembering purposes, and to share with all of you!

So. Why New Jersey? This June one of my NJ cousins is graduating high school, so the whole whole family is planning to visit for it... except for me, since June is right at start of the busy season for harvest. So I'm going to visit them now instead!

I suppose the escapade really started when I left Madison again at the end of January to return to Kansas. Momma's birthday was in the beginning of February, and it had been a few years since I'd been home to celebrate with her. After spending six days back in the home country--mainly just regenerating and seeing family--Orville and I hopped back on the road for Springfield, Mo., to visit my awesome people living there.

The first stop was with our good buddy in Middle-of-nowhere, Mo., who lives on top of the mini-mountain at the end of the terrifying narrow dirt driveway that stretches on and on and on and on...

Said buddy and I had our (belated) Christmas gift exchange, which resulted in me jumping up and down for several minutes in elated excitement. (haha. belated elated. yay.) In his words, "I thought Orville could use some travel companions other than you." His gift was a complete set of -adorable- Eeveelution plushies (yes, I'm a nerd). As you can see, Orville is very excited about his new friends:

[so excited.]

I've been letting the newbies ride on the dash three at a time for the trip. They seem to like it. [Meanwhile, she has me stuffed in a pillow in the back seat. So much for seniority.]

I was in Springfield Sunday through Wednesday, and got to hang out with some of my favorite peeps. The super bowl commercials were enjoyed with my weekend hostesses, after which we had a movie night. Monday allowed for quality fellow Epiphany-header time, and a fun evening visiting with The Professor. Tuesday started off with a make-your-own breakfast with a fellow anime lover, then a long stretch of the afternoon was spent route-planning and bonding with The Auntie while watching Courageous [many tissues required]. Tuesday evening was former suite-mate time! We located a fun tea place in Springfield and promptly raided them of all their bubbles (tapioca pearls):

Yay Door County! Except we're in Springfield... don't get confused.

After filling up on smoothie / milk tea goodness we went to Gem of India, leaving feeling very American (in the sense that we could no longer button our pants...). Delicious. Wednesday was considerably more laid back in the AM, but the afternoon was pretty full. I actually ended up going back to the same tea shop with another friend (also an anime lover) for a short while before meeting up with dear ol' K-Dog, aka The Great Black Dog for you fellow bloggers out there, and we had a fun / nostalgic evening of free pie (thank you, Village Inn), Bass Pro perusing [complete with random conversations with fish], and soup at the Aviary (which, ironically, is also were the fellow Epip-leader and I went on Monday). K-Dog humored me with a picture to document the day:

Note the longer hair! The gf thinks a ponytail will do him good. [The verdict's still out.]

After the whirlwind visit in Springfield, the Bride-to-be bestie and I met early (7 am) at Starbucks for a farewell coffee / breakfast before hitting the road on Thursday. I was proud of both of us for actually making it, lol. ^^; By her agreeing to get together, it forced me to get moving at a decent time for the 14 hour drive I had ahead of me.

I left Springfield at 8 a.m. Thursday and arrived at another EU friend's home at around 10 p.m. near Pittsburg, Penn. that night. The peanut gallery kept me amused with their dash-sitting cuteness during the drive (dashing cuteness?), but, rather tragically, a naughty stone managed to reach my windshield while I was in Illinois, and now I have a crack in the upper right-hand corner (not quite visible in this picture). Insurance arranged for a fixer to come out on Saturday once I reach NJ (to be continued...).

(The old tractor was for Daddy's benefit, since he collects them. ^_^)

I felt uber excited (and grateful!) to see / crash for the night at the fellow English majors' place from EU. Both are going through some interesting changes right now that I enjoyed hearing about. She (fellow English major and Walther gal!) explained how they are only in Penn. for a few more months, so I was glad I was able to see them when I did, because their next destination is L.A. (which is a bit out of the way for this trip). He is in a master's program for film / entertainment, and I'm thinking perhaps I went into the wrong work field, because hearing him talk about his experience at a video game creation company was pretty much epic. I parted ways with these two early Friday morning when they left for work, hitting the road by 8 again for central Penn. to meet up with another friend: dear Quetz!

I was very pumped about this get together, mainly because, despite having met online way back in 2006 and having lots of fun skype/facebook conversations, this would be our first in-person meeting. I reached her residence around 11 a.m. near the state university, and after meeting her family we walked to the campus and met up with her sister for ice cream at the campus creamery:

[The ice cream didn't last long enough to make the picture.]

Chocolate chip cooke dough ftw. After freezing our (very happy) tongues, we went out and froze the rest of ourselves as we walked from campus to the downtown, hitting up a Starbucks (love) and a comic book store (more love), both of which managed to somehow acquire some of the papery stuff in my wallet. [So sneaky.]

Since the family members I was heading for in NJ had an event that afternoon, I ended up hanging out with Quetz's family until evening, making the rest of the drive later than planned (silly computer clock was still on central time). I -finally- reached my final destination around 11:30 p.m., and waited for my cousins to come escort me onto the base. Uncle had already called it a day (quite understandably), but the Aunt and cousins and I all stayed up and visited a while.

This morning the glass-fixer-man came out, and we got that squared away for the time being. After a big family breakfast, I finally got a chance to sit down and blog this all out. I'll try to keep everyone updated on the escapade!

~to be continued~